Sorry Sathya, I don't agree. There is evidence that Midgley knew full well that lead in petrol was dangerous, and that he helped hide it. There is also evidence that he knew ethanol would do the same job as lead with respect to engine knock. He is absolutely culpable here.

With the CFCs he didn't know the damage that he was doing, but again he did know that he was using some very nasty chemicals. I am not sure ignorance is much of a defence.

I am not sure you can really argue that if he hadn't done it, someone else would have. That sounds like an assumption to me!

I do accept that there is a collective responsibility to many of the world's ills, and I do not think myself innocent by any means! I am no Thomas Midgley, though.